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Bill Allowing Teachers to Challenge Evolution Passes Tennessee House
Science Insider ^ | 7 April 2011, | Sara Reardon

Posted on 04/07/2011 10:05:13 PM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode

In a 70-28 vote today, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed HB 368, a bill that encourages science teachers to explore controversial topics without fear of reprisal. Critics say the measure will enable K-12 teachers to present intelligent design and creationism as acceptable alternatives to evolution in the classroom.

The bill's text, if passed into state law, would protect teachers from discipline if they "help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught," namely, "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning." The bill also says that its "shall not be construed to promote any religious or non-religious doctrine."

In a letter to the House education subcommittee, Alan I. Leshner, the chief executive officer of AAAS (which publishes ScienceInsider), said, "There is virtually no scientific controversy among the overwhelming majority of researchers on the core facts of global warming and evolution. Asserting that there are significant scientific controversies about the overall nature of these concepts when there are none will only confuse students, not enlighten them."

In addition to AAAS, the Tennessee Science Teachers Association, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, and the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) have expressed their opposition to the bill.

"There has been a widespread pattern of discrimination against educators who would challenge evolution in the classroom," Casey Luskin, a policy analyst for the pro-intelligent design Discovery Institute, in Seattle, Washington, told ScienceInsider. "Schools censor from students the evidence against evolution. This protects the rights of teachers to teach in an objective wa ." The Discovery Institute supports the bill and others like it in other states.

"We think it's very unfortunate that the House has chosen to push this forward," Steven Newton, policy director at NCSE, told ScienceInsider. "It would be especially unfortunate if this took the next step and became law, as it might give momentum to antievolution forces and forces that seek to deny the reality of climate change."

If the bill passes, Tennessee would join Louisiana as the second state to have specific "protection" for the teaching of evolution in the classroom. The effects of the Louisiana law, which passed in 2008, are still unclear. "Some teachers there are teaching creationism, were before, and now will be even more encouraged to bring out antievolution rhetoric," says Newton.

An identical Tennessee Senate bill, SB 893, is up for a vote by the Senate Education Committee at the end of the month. If it follows the party line vote seen in the House, Newton expects it to pass and Republican Governor Bill Haslam to sign it into law.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Philosophy; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: darwin; darwinism; evolution; godsgravesglyphs; science; scienceeduction; tennessee
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This bill should also allow challenges to the historical fairytales evolutionists tell, such as their made-up story of Lamarck and Darwin which is found in many textbooks, lesson-plans etc.

It should be noted that the AAAS was a eugenics organization for a good part of its history. Several of the presidents and officers of the AAAS were members of the American Eugenics Society. See here for more info.

1 posted on 04/07/2011 10:05:17 PM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode

What made up story of Lamarck and Darwin? This is a TERRIBLE thing for Tennessee to do. The US already trails Asia in issuing PHd’s and is lagging hugely in scientific innovation. Ask ANYONE working in a mircobiology lab for a pharmaceutical corporation and they’ll tell you how fundamental Evolution is to their work.


2 posted on 04/07/2011 10:09:14 PM PDT by Behemothpanzer (You are entitled to your own opinion. You are not entitled to your own facts.)
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode

Who scientifically studies the scientists?


3 posted on 04/07/2011 10:09:17 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Hawk)
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To: Behemothpanzer

If the “mircobiologists” [kinda sic] are turning out anything but other microbes from their microbes, then they have a reason to cheer for theories of macro-evolution.

Generally, skeptics of macro-evolution tend to know more about the tenets of science in general than does the general public.


4 posted on 04/07/2011 10:11:52 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Hawk)
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode
This bill should also allow challenges to the historical fairytales evolutionists tell, such as their made-up story of Lamarck and Darwin which is found in many textbooks, lesson-plans etc.

I love Tennessee. Lots of churches of Christ, country music, right-to-work and no state income tax. This bill is another real plus for the Volunteer state.

A lot of Tennesseans fought for our Texas liberty at the Alamo so there's a natural affinity between the states. I hope that Texas takes a cue from Tennessee on this matter of academic freedom.

5 posted on 04/07/2011 10:13:37 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP...that's what I like about Texas.)
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode

Anyone who opposes evolution is a moron. Almost as stupid as those who oppose creationism...


6 posted on 04/07/2011 10:15:03 PM PDT by WackySam (To argue with a man who has renounced his reason is like giving medicine to the dead.)
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To: Behemothpanzer
What made up story of Lamarck and Darwin?

Like the one you find in this lesson plan.

7 posted on 04/07/2011 10:18:25 PM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode (<<== Click here to learn about Evolution!)
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To: Behemothpanzer

I hear what you’re saying, but a bill that allows students to critique, review, and analyze evidence for and/ or against evolution can only be a good thing, because there should never have been a bill or other hindrance against reviewing any scientific theory, free thought or idea. Whatever one believes should be open for debate, in my experience this is how people learn and not just accept what is told to them.


8 posted on 04/07/2011 10:22:13 PM PDT by MacMattico
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode

Next up, alchemy in chemistry class and six day Earth creationism in geology class.


9 posted on 04/07/2011 10:23:27 PM PDT by GunRunner (10 Years of Freeping...)
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To: WackySam

The brouhaha will, I fear, rapidly de-evolve into nonsensical babble of Babel as words are wildly flung about without heed to the meaning intended.

The question as most “evolution skeptics” see it, is whether an externally unaided self contained dance of atoms and radiation is anywhere even close to sufficient to explain the history of life on earth. The skeptics say no it is not.


10 posted on 04/07/2011 10:24:10 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Hawk)
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode

Damn the fools in Tennessee want to go through another monkey trial. How stupid.


11 posted on 04/07/2011 10:30:49 PM PDT by org.whodat
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode

Cool
Try are also going to roll back nashville’s recent homosexual love ordinance thru a state law prohibiting such


12 posted on 04/07/2011 10:32:18 PM PDT by wardaddy (ok...Trump---Sarah----Michelle.....any of them are ok for now---tain't picky)
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To: GunRunner

Looking forward to turning that lead into gold. LOL


13 posted on 04/07/2011 10:33:03 PM PDT by org.whodat
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To: org.whodat

eep eep oop oop eep eep oop oop


14 posted on 04/07/2011 10:33:25 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Hawk)
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To: Behemothpanzer
http://www.examiner.com/methodist-in-national/atheists-attack-darwinian-evolution-new-book Evolutionary Consensus? What's more disturbing....someone questioning evolution, not even a theory, but a postulate, or, those that don't, but have to question the Laws of Thermodynamics, antipodal to evolution, just to justify evolution. The Laws of Thermodynamics are lab provable Laws, ergo, the Laws of Thermodynamics. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics bears witness against the idea of everything going from a state of chaos, big band, to a state of order. The law is the law of entropy. Everything goes from a high state of complex energy to a low state of simple energy. Did you not hear? Since "caveman" times, you know, Cro Magnon brains were bigger and modern humans brains are shrinking? 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, entropy. It can be dismissed, even though they try.
15 posted on 04/07/2011 10:33:57 PM PDT by Puckster
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To: re_nortex

Be happy you guys have those new more conservative textbook regs

We still have lib propaganda


16 posted on 04/07/2011 10:34:34 PM PDT by wardaddy (ok...Trump---Sarah----Michelle.....any of them are ok for now---tain't picky)
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To: org.whodat

Any serious alchemist would view that statement much as a church organist would view “Looking forward to your pretty dance music.”

Alchemy was an attempt to merge the spirit of man into the physical universe. Long before it would be hypothetically possible to coax lead into becoming gold, one would cease to care for the financial gain to be had, being “above it all.” If it sounds weird, it’s because it was weird. But don’t misrepresent it please.


17 posted on 04/07/2011 10:39:20 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Hawk)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

I treat it the same way history treats it and you cannot change history. Now how about those golden goose eggs.


18 posted on 04/07/2011 10:46:29 PM PDT by org.whodat
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To: org.whodat

Your beloved historians told a lie, so you’ll hang on to the lie?


19 posted on 04/07/2011 10:50:17 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Hawk)
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode
a bill that encourages science teachers to explore controversial topics without fear of reprisal...

Careful what you wish for folks.
20 posted on 04/07/2011 10:52:31 PM PDT by SpaceBar
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